Product Designer, Soft Goods (Home)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Product Designer, Soft Goods (Home)

Company: Target

Location: Minneapolis, MN, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Design / Merchandising Operations

Date Posted: July 27, 2026

Experience Level: 3+ years relevant experience

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days/week in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design and development of Target's Owned Brand soft goods for the Home category, focusing on Bedding and Toss Pillows, while supporting other categories as needed.

• Translate market trends, material innovations, and design concepts into cost-effective, high-quality products that align with merchant line plans and brand strategies.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with merchandising, sourcing, product engineering, and technical development teams to ensure design feasibility, quality standards, and pricing goals are met.

• Utilize design tools such as CAD and hand sketches to conceptualize and communicate product direction, print, pattern, and color applications.

• Contribute to maintaining brand cohesion and creative direction across the Home soft goods portfolio, ensuring a consistent and appealing guest experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Product Designer," the responsibilities heavily involve aspects of merchandising operations, product development lifecycle management, and cross-functional coordination, which are critical in GTM (Go-To-Market) and retail operations. The focus on "Owned Brands" implies a deep involvement in strategy, sourcing, and ensuring brand integrity, aligning with operational excellence in product creation.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design process for soft goods products within the Home category, with a primary focus on Bedding and Toss Pillow categories, and secondary support for Bath, Window, and Rugs.

• Conduct thorough trend research, identifying emerging styles, materials, and color palettes relevant to the home textile market to inform product innovation.

• Develop original design concepts, including print, pattern, and color application, and create detailed CAD renderings and hand sketches to communicate design intent.

• Partner closely with merchant and sourcing teams to ensure designs meet line plan requirements, assortment strategies, price points, and overall creative direction.

• Collaborate with Product Engineering, Technical Development, and Sourcing teams to translate designs into manufacturable products, considering vendor capabilities, quality requirements, and cost targets.

• Manage workload diligently, ensuring timely communication with internal and external partners, effective management of deliverables and deadlines, and thorough sample reviews.

• Prepare and present design concepts and product lines for milestone presentations to key stakeholders, articulating design rationale and market relevance.

• Maintain brand cohesion and continuity across the Home soft goods portfolio by partnering with design peers across the division.

• Ensure designs are compatible with quality requirements and pricing goals throughout the development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on process management, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic alignment, which are hallmarks of effective GTM and Merchandising Operations roles. The need to manage deadlines, deliverables, and partner communication points to a project management-like function within the design process.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• 4-year Degree in Design (Product Design or Textile Design strongly preferred). Experience:

• 3+ years of relevant experience in product development, with a preference for experience in home textiles. Required Skills:

• Strong aptitude for trend analysis, design principles, and print & pattern application.

• Demonstrated high taste level, creative ability, and a proclivity for innovation in product design.

• Ability to translate business objectives into creative, original, and cost-effective design solutions.

• Proficiency in all Adobe Creative Suite programs (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).

• Experience assimilating and incorporating product feedback from various stakeholders.

• Highly collaborative and adept at working effectively within a cross-functional team environment.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, demonstrating strong self-management skills.

• Proficiency in CAD and/or hand sketching for product concept visualization. Preferred Skills:

• Specific experience in home textile product development (e.g., bedding, bath, window treatments, rugs).

• Familiarity with material selection and fabrication techniques relevant to soft goods.

• Understanding of manufacturing processes and vendor capabilities in the home textile industry.

• Experience with color application and color palette development for home goods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "3+ years of relevant experience" combined with a 4-year degree suggests a mid-level role, requiring not just creative talent but also a foundational understanding of product development processes and industry standards within the home goods sector. The emphasis on Adobe Creative Suite and CAD indicates a need for technical design proficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio showcasing a strong understanding of design principles, trend interpretation, and creative problem-solving within the home goods or soft goods sector.

• Demonstrated ability to develop original print, pattern, and color applications for textiles.

• Examples of product development from concept to final design, illustrating the design process and decision-making.

• Evidence of collaboration with cross-functional teams (e.g., merchandising, sourcing) and how design considerations were integrated.

• Visualizations of CAD renderings or hand sketches that clearly communicate design intent and product details. Process Documentation:

• While not explicitly stated as a formal requirement for submission, candidates are expected to articulate their design process during interviews, including:

  • Workflow for trend research and concept generation.

  • Methods for material and color selection.

  • Process for collaborating with technical and sourcing teams.

  • Approach to incorporating feedback and iterating on designs.

  • Techniques used for preparing design presentations.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a design role with strong operational ties, a portfolio is crucial. It needs to showcase not just aesthetic talent but also the candidate's ability to manage a design process that aligns with business needs, cost constraints, and production realities, reflecting a GTM operational mindset.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $73,000 - $132,000 per year. This range is determined by factors including labor market conditions, education, work experience, and certifications.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health benefits and programs for eligible team members and their dependents:

  • Medical Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Life Insurance

• Financial and education benefits:

  • 401(k) plan

• Employee perks:

  • Employee Discount

• Disability coverage:

  • Short Term Disability
  • Long Term Disability

• Paid Time Off:

  • Paid Sick Leave

  • Paid National Holidays

  • Paid Vacation Working Hours:

• Standard full-time position, likely around 40 hours per week.

• Hybrid work arrangement requires 4 days per week in the Minneapolis, MN office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided and is competitive for a Product Designer role with 3+ years of experience in a major metropolitan area like Minneapolis. The comprehensive benefits package is typical for a large retail organization like Target, offering a strong total compensation picture. The hybrid requirement with a significant in-office component is a key consideration for work-life balance.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Retail. Target operates as a multinational retailer, offering a wide range of consumer products.

Company Size: Large (Target is a Fortune 50 company with hundreds of thousands of employees globally). This scale implies robust processes, established supply chains, and significant market influence.

Founded: 1902. Target has a long history, indicating stability and a deep understanding of the retail landscape.

Team Structure:

• The Design team operates within Target's broader Merchandising organization, specifically focusing on Owned Brands.

• Designers work in close partnership with merchant and sourcing counterparts, forming collaborative pods or teams focused on specific product categories or brands.

• This role is part of the Soft Décor team, which likely includes other designers, product developers, and potentially merchandisers specializing in home textiles.

• Reporting structure is under Design leadership, with a likely matrixed relationship to brand/category leads. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Designs are informed by market trends, guest insights, sales data, and merchant line plans.

• Collaborative Development: Heavy emphasis on cross-functional teamwork to ensure designs are feasible, cost-effective, and align with business objectives.

• Brand Cohesion: A strong focus on maintaining a consistent creative direction and brand identity across all Target-owned brands.

• Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness: Designs must meet specific price points and be manufacturable within vendor capabilities, balancing creativity with commercial viability.

Company Website: https://corporate.target.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Target's culture emphasizes a blend of creativity and operational rigor. For a designer, this means balancing innovative design with the practical constraints of large-scale retail product development, including sourcing, costing, and supply chain considerations. The "Owned Brands" focus means playing a critical role in defining and delivering on Target's unique product offerings.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Product Designer, requiring specialized skills in home textile design and product development. It sits within the broader GTM and Merchandising Operations framework, contributing to the strategic execution of product creation for Target's private labels.

Reporting Structure:

• Reports to Design leadership within the Home category.

• Works in close, day-to-day partnership with merchant and sourcing teams.

• Collaborates with Product Engineering and Technical Development. Operations Impact:

• Directly influences the product assortment and guest experience for Target's Home category.

• Contributes to the profitability and brand perception of Target-owned brands through innovative and cost-effective product designs.

• Plays a key role in the Go-To-Market process by ensuring product designs are aligned with market opportunities and operational capabilities. Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific home textile categories (e.g., advanced bedding design, sustainable materials).

• Leadership: Transition into Senior Product Designer, Lead Designer, or Design Manager roles, managing larger categories or teams.

• Cross-Functional Movement: Potential to move into roles within Merchandising, Sourcing, or Product Development Management, leveraging design knowledge within an operational context.

• Skill Development: Opportunities to expand knowledge in areas like material science, sustainable design practices, and advanced design software.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for growth within the design and merchandising operations function at Target. The emphasis on owned brands provides significant strategic influence and opportunities to impact business results directly.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Corporate headquarters environment at Target Plaza South in Minneapolis, MN. This is a large, professional office setting designed for collaboration.

Office Location(s): 1000 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403-2542. This is a central downtown Minneapolis location.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office likely features open-plan areas, meeting rooms, studios, and informal collaboration zones to facilitate team interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Access to necessary design software, hardware, and potentially physical sample rooms or material libraries.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with design peers, merchants, sourcing managers, and technical developers. The hybrid model means structured in-office days are crucial for team cohesion and collaboration.

Work Schedule:

• Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement, requiring 4 days per week onsite.

• This structure allows for focused individual work at home while ensuring essential in-person collaboration and team engagement.

• Standard business hours, Monday through Friday, with flexibility based on project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with 4 days in the office indicates a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration and team building, which is common in creative and product development roles where spontaneous ideation and feedback are vital.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Screening of resumes and portfolios for relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

• Portfolio Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, showcasing a range of their work, design process, and problem-solving abilities. This is a critical stage for design roles.

• Interviews with Hiring Team: Face-to-face or virtual interviews with the hiring manager and key team members (e.g., other designers, merchants, sourcing leads). These will assess technical skills, creative thinking, collaboration style, and cultural fit.

• Potential Design Challenge: A short, timed design exercise or case study may be given to assess on-the-spot problem-solving, creativity, and approach to a specific design brief.

• Final Interviews: May involve higher-level management or cross-functional leaders.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your skills in soft goods design, trend analysis, print & pattern, and product development for a retail environment.

• Showcase Process: For each project, detail your thought process, research methods, material considerations, and how you addressed design challenges.

• Highlight Collaboration: If possible, include examples that show how you worked with other teams (merchandising, sourcing) to bring a product to life.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, mention the success of your designs (e.g., sales performance, positive guest feedback, cost savings).

• Tailor to Target: Research Target's current home goods aesthetic and brands, and tailor your presentation to show how your style aligns with their vision.

• Technical Proficiency: Ensure your CAD and sketching examples are clear, professional, and effectively communicate design details.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss your design process, how you approach trend forecasting, and how you balance creativity with commercial viability.

• Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and concisely.

• Familiarize yourself with Target's Owned Brands in the Home category to understand their aesthetic and market positioning.

📝 Enhancement Note: For this role, the portfolio is paramount. It's not just about the final visual output but also the narrative behind the design – the research, the problem-solving, and the collaboration that led to a successful product. Candidates should be ready to walk through their process in detail.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential for all design work, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

• CAD Software: Used for creating technical drawings, patterns, and product mockups.

• 3D Design Software (Potential): While not explicitly mentioned, familiarity with tools like CLO 3D or similar for soft goods visualization could be a significant advantage.

• Product Data Management (PDM) / PLM Systems (Potential): Experience with systems used for managing product development lifecycles would be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While designers don't typically manage these, an understanding of how sales data, trend reports, and market analysis inform design decisions is crucial. Familiarity with basic data interpretation is expected. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the designer's core function, but an understanding of how product information flows through retail systems is helpful.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite is a non-negotiable requirement. Experience with CAD is also critical. Any exposure to tools that streamline the product development lifecycle or enhance visualization will set a candidate apart.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Guest Obsessed: Designs should ultimately cater to the needs and desires of the Target guest, ensuring products are desirable, functional, and align with Target's value proposition.

• Innovation: Encouraging new ideas, materials, and design approaches to keep Target's owned brands fresh and competitive.

• Collaboration: Working effectively across diverse teams (design, merchandising, sourcing, technical) to achieve common goals.

• Accountability: Taking ownership of design projects, meeting deadlines, and ensuring quality and cost targets are met.

• Efficiency: Developing cost-effective designs that can be produced at scale without compromising quality or brand integrity.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are expected to be active collaborators, working seamlessly with merchants to understand line plans and sourcing to ensure manufacturability.

• Feedback Culture: Openness to constructive criticism and the ability to iterate based on feedback from peers, managers, and business partners.

• Shared Vision: Contributing to a collective understanding of brand direction and product strategy to ensure cohesive product assortments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Target's culture emphasizes a balance between individual creativity and the collective drive towards business objectives. Operations professionals in this environment need to be team players who can translate creative vision into tangible, commercially successful products.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creativity with Commercial Constraints: Designing innovative products that also meet strict cost, quality, and production timelines.

• Navigating Large-Scale Retail: Understanding and adapting to the complexities of a large retail organization, including long lead times and extensive approval processes.

• Staying Ahead of Trends: Continuously researching and anticipating trends in the fast-paced home goods market.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on design direction and execution, especially in a hybrid work environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Industry Exposure: Opportunities to attend trade shows, workshops, and conferences related to home textiles, design trends, and material innovation.

• Skill Enhancement: Training in advanced design software, material science, or sustainable design practices.

• Mentorship: Access to experienced design leaders and cross-functional partners who can provide guidance.

• Career Pathing: Clear pathways to advance within the design organization or transition into related operational roles within Merchandising or Sourcing.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents opportunities to tackle significant challenges in a high-impact environment. The ability to grow and learn is high, with potential for both vertical advancement in design and lateral moves into influential operational roles.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing a new product line, from initial concept to final design." (Focus on your workflow, research, and collaboration).

• "How do you stay current with home textile trends, and how do you translate those trends into commercially viable products for a mass retailer like Target?" (Highlight your trend analysis and practical application skills).

• "Walk me through a challenging design project where you had to balance creative vision with cost limitations or production constraints. How did you resolve it?" (Demonstrate problem-solving and negotiation skills).

• "How do you approach collaboration with merchants and sourcing teams? Can you give an example of a successful cross-functional partnership?" (Emphasize teamwork and communication). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about designing for Target's Owned Brands, specifically in the Home category?" (Showcase your understanding of Target's brand and market position).

• "How do you see your design style fitting with Target's aesthetic?" (Research Target's current home offerings).

• "Describe a time you received constructive feedback on your designs. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?" (Assess adaptability and receptiveness to feedback). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each project as a narrative, detailing the problem, your solution, and the outcome.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure high-quality images and clear CADs/sketches.

• Process Focus: Emphasize your design methodology, research, and decision-making process.

• Target Alignment: Connect your work to Target's brand values and guest focus.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present efficiently, focusing on the most impactful aspects of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect interview questions that probe both your creative capabilities and your operational understanding. The ability to articulate your process, justify your design choices, and demonstrate how you collaborate is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Product Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Target Careers.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is up-to-date, well-organized, and specifically highlights your experience with soft goods, home textiles, print & pattern, and product development. Tailor your presentation to reflect Target's brand and aesthetic.

• Resume Optimization: Clearly state your years of experience, relevant design degrees, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and CAD, and any home textile product development experience. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, trend analysis methods, and collaboration strategies. Be ready to present your portfolio and discuss your work in detail.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Target's current home goods offerings, their Owned Brands (e.g., Threshold, Project 62, Opalhouse), and their overall brand mission and values. Understand the hybrid work model and its implications.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description provides a comprehensive overview based on the provided information and industry standards for Product Designer roles in retail. Specific details regarding day-to-day tasks, team dynamics, and project scope may vary. It is recommended to clarify these during the interview process.